Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
A podcast of fascinating facts! What do extraterrestrial radio signals and a mushroom from Texas have in common? What is a “number station“ and why is it so spine-tinglingly creepy? Join comedians Shane Rogers and Duncan MacEwan for an entertaining and hilarious deep-dive into obscure facts from science, history and pop culture.
Episodes

Thursday Jan 11, 2024
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
What do blood, sweat, tears, and fingerprints have in common? They can all be used to solve crimes. In this episode of Midnight Facts for Insomniacs, Shane and Duncan explore the fascinating world of forensic science, and debunk some of the most ridiculous Hollywood myths. Crime doesn't pay, but it sure makes for a great episode…
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In this episode:
A short history of forensics
Pre-forensics
Trial by combat
Cruentation
Eureka! Archimedes and water displacement
The Theory of Discernable Uniqueness
Likelihood Ratios
Fingerprints
Dermal Ridge Skin
Turing Patterns
Whorls, Loops, and Arches
The Henry Classification System
Dermatoglyphs
Adermatoglyphia
Dactyloscopy
Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer
Jean Evangelista Purkyne
Henry Faulds
The Loupe
The first success: Francisca Rojas
Paul Jean Coulier and iodine fuming
IAFIS: Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
Blood Spatter
Michael C. Hall and Dexter Morgan
Herbert MacDonell
The [Basement] Laboratory of Forensic Science
The International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts
Debunking: The 2009 report by the National Academy of Sciences
Splatter vs Spatter
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Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
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Midnight Merch
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Thursday Dec 28, 2023
Thursday Dec 28, 2023
Which nautical tragedy represents the largest loss of life in non-combat American Navy history? Are there any undiscovered shipwrecks in American lakes? How much treasure would you get to keep if you could find the most valuable shipwreck that still hasn’t been discovered? Prepare for a journey through maritime history’s darkest waters, as Shane and Duncan delve into four chilling tales of ships lost at sea…
~In this episode:
USS Cyclops
Flor de la Mar
Le Griffon
SS Waratah
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Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
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Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Join Shane and Duncan as they attempt to navigate the sensitive topic of Native American mythology, exploring the elusive world of talking coyotes, giant turtles, divine peace pipes, and the cosmic dance between gods and mortals.
~In this episode:
Debunking "Spirit Animals"
The "Noble Savage"
Keep America Beautiful and the Most Famous Tear on TV
Iron Eyes Cody (Espera de Corti)
Native American Philosophies on Nature
Indigenous History in the Americas
Creation Myth - The Great Turtle (aka Turtle Island)
The Chitimacha and the The Great Spirit
Coyote and the Permanence of Death
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
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Episode Transcript

Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Christmas comes early this year with the bonus re-release of one of our favorite episodes exploring the strange, pagan, occasionally twisted origins of the Christmas holiday. How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic numerology message 20+C+M+B+22? And what's with all of those airborne reindeer?
Welcome to Ghosts of Christmases Past, in which Shane and Duncan explore how tree-worship and animal sacrifice evolved into the bizarre, festive, highly commercialized holiday we know today. So whether you're feeling the Christmas spirit or just feeling jaded and grinchy, grab a cup of heavily-spiked eggnog, get cozy by the yule-log, and join the boys as they unpack the fascinating pagan history of Christmas.
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Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
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Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
Christmastide
Christmas Eve
The Feast of Saint Stephen, Protomartyr
Childermas, The Feast of the Holy Innocents
Herod the Great
The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, Octave of the Nativity, Solemnity of Mary
The Feast of the Holy Family
12th Night, Epiphany Eve
Chalking the Door
Saturnalia
The Holiday of Yule
Yule Boar, Yule Goat, Yule Log
Anglican Revelers vs. Puritan Grinches
The Story of the Nativity
December 25th Becomes the Arbitrary DOB
Christenmas, Christ Mass, and Xmas
Christmas Trees
Saint Nicholas of Myra, aka Saint Nick, aka Nicholas the Wonderworker
Sinterklaas
Christmases Around the World
Reindeer
Thomas Nast
Haddon Sundblom and Coca-Cola
~Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
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Episode Transcript

Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Join Shane and Duncan for an explosive tale of political intrigue, religious fervor, and a daring conspiracy that could have reshaped an entire nation.
~In this episode:
King Henry VIII and the Anglican Church
Catholics vs Protestants
"Bloody" Mary I of England
Queen Elizabeth I
King James VI and I
Robert Catesby
Thomas Wintour
John Wright
Guy Fawkes
The Secret Police
Priest Holes
Elizabeth Stuart and the Extended Plot
Parliament Delayed
The Accidental Conspirator: Thomas Bates
Robert Keyes
Keeping it in the Family: John Grant, Christopher "Kit" Wright, and Robert Wintour
Francis Tresham...Double Cross?
The Baron Monteagle Letter
Search and Seizure
The Plot is Foiled
The Final Stand at Holbeche House
Executions
Bonfire Night
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
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Podcast Website
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Episode Transcript

Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Last episode was just a warm-up. Swindle month continues, this time with actual influencers! These are the worst of the worst…
~In this episode:
Yovana Mendoza (Rawvana)
Belle Gibson
The Liver King (Brian Johnson)
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
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Podcast Website
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Episode Transcript

Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
The internet is a dangerous place. Hold onto your wallet as MFFI takes you on a scamtastic tour of two of the most notorious online swindles of the last decade.
~In this episode:
Fyre Fest
The 2017 GoFundMe Con
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
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Podcast Website
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Episode Transcript

Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Spooky season continues!
A car that killed a star. A haunted doll. A vindictive painting. Are any of these items genuinely cursed? Not a chance. But hey, it’s it’s going to be a wild ride. Join Shane and Duncan for a silly, skeptical romp through the darkest corners of the untamed internet.
~In this episode:
James Dean’s Little Bastard
Robert the Doll
“The Hands Resist Him”
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
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Episode Transcript

Thursday Oct 05, 2023
Thursday Oct 05, 2023
Spooky season has arrived! Join Shane and Duncan for a trio of mind-bending mysteries: first, venture into the frozen enigma of Dyatlov Pass, then wander the eerie halls of the Cecil Hotel, and finally unravel the perplexing tale of the Somerton Man.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
~
Leave an Audio Message!
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Podcast Website
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Episode Transcript

Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
From umbrellas that distribute rain to radios that print the news, here are the most useless pieces of technology ever foisted an unsuspecting public.
~
Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON
~
Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD
~
In this episode:
Radio Newspaper
Xybernaut POMA
Kerastese Hair Coach
Umbrella Drone
Vacuum Cleaner Shoes
iSmell
Amazon Astro
~
Join the Midnight Masses!
Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.
And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!
Midnight Merch
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Podcast Website